HERITAGE LAUNCHES COIN IMAGE IMPROVEMENT

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V22 2019 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 22, Number 24, June 16, 2019, Article 11

Here's an announcement from Heritage Auctions published June 12, 2019 via email. -Editor

Heritage Auctions Launches New Web Feature to Offer Higher-Quality Photographs of World and Ancient Coins in Internet Auctions

Feature offers PCGS TrueView, NGC PhotoVision images from independent grading companies

Heritage Auctions, the world's leading coins auctioneer, has launched a new feature on its website that displays high-quality photographs of world and ancient coins taken by independent third-party grading companies whenever they are available for internet auction lots.

HA.com now displays the PCGS TrueView or NGC PhotoVision images whenever those photos are available for all internet auction lots. Previously, coins received just Heritage's in-house photos of the encapsulated coins.

The high-resolution photographs from PCGS and NGC are shot outside of the coins' protective cases, which produces a clearer and more accurate depiction of the coins' surfaces and toning while at the same time reducing glare or any marks that may be on the plastic holder.

PCGS takes TruView images for all of its world coins, and NGC will take PhotoVision photos of all world and ancient coins submitted by Heritage Auctions, at no added cost to HA consignors.

"This feature represents a significant upgrade in the quality of photographs our consignors and clients will see on HA.com," Heritage Auctions Executive Vice President Cris Bierrenbach said. "We estimate that within six months, as many as 50% of all lots in our weekly, monthly and Signature Internet auctions will have these exceptional high-resolution photographs, which only will increase bidders' confidence that they are pursuing exactly what they see on our website."

As all collectors and dealers know, not all coins at the same grade level are necessarily equal. The numerical grade assigned to each coin by the grading service remains an important feature, but the improved photographs on HA.com will allow collectors to make more confident, better-informed decisions about the bids they make, especially on high-quality coins that deserve a premium for the grade because of exceptional eye appeal.

This is great news. I HATE HATE HATE SUPER-HATE photos taken through slabs, especially those with the annoying white tabs around the coin edge. I don't mind seeing photos of the slab itself, but not if those are the ONLY photos available. High-quality photos of the coin itself are what collectors and researchers really need. This is a great development.

But don't forget about the third side of the coin - the edge. Not every coin needs the edge treatment, but it's crucial for certain pieces. I've heard of one extremely rare colonial coin that had a first-rate electrotype made of it, likely by Sylvester Crosby himself. A decade or so after the electro was sold, it showed up again at auction in a slab as genuine, and the extremely faint seam that was only partially visible on the edge was now completely obscured - the copy became real, the price went from $500 to nearly $100,000, and the person who breaks it out of the slab (which will eventually happen) will be in for one nasty surprise! -Editor